Required reading 06.08.10
In cased you missed these stories:
*I wrote today about the Texas Education Agency reducing the number of questions students had to get right to pass the TAKS this year. TEA officials say it's because the questions were harder. But some cast doubt. Read testing contractor Pearson's memo on the process. See TEA's cut scores dating back multiple years (props to the agency, by the way, for posting this all online). Here's my spreadsheet (via Google docs) analyzing the data over the last three years. HISD's research department also put together nice charts look at the passing and commended standards in 2010 and 2009 (via Google docs). The Dallas Morning News explores the issue, too.
*An HISD community meeting about the district's strategic direction turned into an outcry over the changes at Fondren Middle School and the ouster of principal Brenda Rangel, the Bellaire Examiner reports. (If you'll remember, I've been writing about a teacher experimentat Fondren this year and the gains made. For what it's worth, Rangel always opened up her school to me and seemed to know every student's personal story.)
*HISD fights to keep secret the names of district employees involved in its E-rate scandal, and state Attorney General Greg Abbott agrees, Texas Watchdog reports. I had asked HISD for these names too, arguing that keeping them confidential casts a cloud on everyone else,